Investigation of the hematological parameters in women with Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome and their relationship with disease severity

Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS) is an important public health problem that mainly affects middle-aged female patients. Diagnosis of IC/BPS is difficult as there is no disease-specific diagnostic test. Our study evaluated routine hematological parameters in female IC/BPS patients to determine their potential utility in supporting diagnosis and reflecting disease severity. Fifty female IC/BPS patients and 50 age-matched healthy controls were compared regarding neutrophil, lymphocyte, platelet counts, mean platelet volume (MPV), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR). In the patient group, correlations between these parameters and O’Leary-Sant Interstitial Cystitis Symptom Index (ICSI) scores were analyzed. Neutrophil, lymphocyte, platelet counts, and MPV values were similar between groups, whereas NLR was significantly higher in IC/BPS patients (2.34 vs. 1.85, p < 0.001). Among patients, lymphocyte counts were higher in those with ICSI ≥ 14 compared with ICSI < 14 (1.90 vs. 1.62, p = 0.009). Elevated NLR may serve as an adjunctive marker supporting the diagnostic evaluation of IC/BPS, while lymphocyte count may be related to symptom severity. These routinely available parameters could offer additional clinical insight; however, their role should be confirmed in larger, prospective studies.